


Locking Up The Sun: Volume 2

by the_lie_eternal



Category: Poets of the Fall
Genre: AU, Angst, Apocalypse, Blood, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Guest appearances, Hurt/Comfort, Jari and Jaska are a couple sooner or later, Moritz and Tobias are a couple, Multi, Other Ones are inspired by Fallout Ghouls, Sad Backstory, Weapons, Zombie AU, Zombie Apocalypse, cameos of my other fandoms may appear, chapter exclusive tags will be added in the notes, cruel world, fight, rewrite of an old fic with better story and better characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:27:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 14,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26525191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_lie_eternal/pseuds/the_lie_eternal
Summary: The original tragic story that is Locking up the Sun has been written a few years ago and I hate this fic so much but I love the concept so here it is: Locking up the Sun but with better characters, a better story and better grammar!You do not have to know the "original" to understand this.The disease has taken over the world. Those intoxicated by it roam the streets and fields as what the common folk calls the "Other Ones". Those who got away healthy were put in a new world filled with destruction, corruption and violence to the bone. Our heroes are on their way to what they hope is the last sanctuary - but what they will find there is maybe not what they expected ...
Comments: 83
Kudos: 4





	1. The Sailor Sanded (Intro)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Locking up the Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322207) by [the_lie_eternal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_lie_eternal/pseuds/the_lie_eternal). 



Olli didn't even realize that he smeared all of the dirt he had on his hands into his face as he tried brushing away the sweat. It would be a lost case, his boat was ready for the waste but the blondie had prepared himself to get Plan B going. Quickly he gathered all his supplies and personal belongings into a huge backpack - the thing being almost as big as the man himself - and placed it safely aside, dedicating back to the boat he carefully tried to save just a few minutes ago. A simple anchor, some barbed wire and nails being wrapped around it and done was his do-it-yourself killing tool. Olli would need it ... he may had been safe of them on the water, yet he was touching  _ their _ territory now and he had to defend himself to not mercilessly die upon some of the so-called "Other Ones".

The blondie expected that his boat would break sooner or later, so ending up on solid ground wasn't as disappointing as he thought it would be in the first place.

Olli huffed as he threw the bag onto his back, perhaps he should've sorted out his stuff before packing but he could also do that once he was resting on the way.

In his hand laid a weathered red flyer as he walked over the empty streets of a town that wasn't anymore, the sun shining onto his dark brown hood that he wore to shield it off.

_ "The King accepts all folks in his safe haven! Gather and come! Gather and come! The King will greet you with open arms!" _

It sounded ridiculous yet promising, so Olli decided that the realm of "The King" should be where he wanted to go. He heard many things about the royalty, only good things and that basically everyone who didn't fall for the disease went exactly there. It would take him quite some time to walk almost across the whole country but Olli knew that it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olli appears as the good old sailor here, stranded at the harbor because his boat let him down.  
> Appearance not mentioned in the chapter: His hair is as long as it is currently (2019/2020) and colored the familiar light blonde.


	2. Need A Hand? (Intro)

"Jumalauta! Voi kyrpä!" Markus cursed as he held his hand in pain just as the soft "cling" of a metal stick hitting the ground was heard.

"You need help or something?" the other man who stood aside tried to keep in his chuckle about the mechanic.

"Ow! Yeah, you being silent would be a start!" he growled and checked his hand for any visible wounds, watching how a slight black spot was already forming but nothing severe - luckily. Else, Markus would have Marko with him - a medic at heart already before the disease broke out and still going strong. The blondie had saved the mechanic out of many critical situations already, would it not be for him the younger of both would had been found dead long ago.

Markus decided to leave it be, their rusty and trashy car had brought them many miles already but it had to break down at one point, that's what they knew.

"Pack your legs, we got to walk." the mechanic sighed, grabbing the metal stick that almost hit his head with his still pulsating hand - it would make a great weapon by foot, almost like a spear.

"Aye Cap." Marko stated, heading towards the trunk to grab their bags. It wasn't much that the two men had with them, even though they had already travelled together for a while. They too were on their way to the realm of "The King", the promising sanctuary everyone everywhere they stopped kept talking about.

"Look, a spear." Markus grinned as he held the metal stick into his friend's face, that one being quite impressed, yet not intimidated.

"Try me, bitch." Marko hissed as he clashed his machete against the bar, making both of them laugh.

"Another time." the mechanic lowered his weapon, making the medic too store his blade back in the fancy selfmade holster he had.

They chose a route through a light, big forest as it gave them more cover from the burning heat that was going on during noon, as they both didn't own hoods or hats as sunshield. It was a good mood among the twine, everything as it should be in a world that couldn't had become even more cruel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for badly placed Finnish (and later on German) curse words.  
> Markus appears as the good old car mechanic in this fic, Marko has a new role as medic!  
> Appearances no mentioned in the chapter: Markus is still bald (rip) but he has a full beard as currently (2019/2020) - Marko appears scruffy as always with short blonde hair and stubbles. They are both weathered, they have seen some shit.


	3. Rats Running Fast (Intro)

He gasped for air as he rushed through the bushes, trying to get some distance between him and his persecutors - a small horde of feral Other Ones that tried to get their rotten hands onto the former soldier.

Jaska was confident that his stamina would not let him down and the thought about being eaten alive by rotten rats (as he called them) gave him just enough of an adrenaline shot to get more speed into his heavy steps. He didn't survive hell on earth to die like this, he kept thinking and slowly but surely the distance between him and the horde became bigger, just bigger and bigger until he was sure that he couldn't hear them anymore and he could slow down.

Exhausted, Jaska stumbled into one of the countless abandoned buildings at the roadside, barricading the door to have at least some calm minutes to rest.

The soldier laid on the dusty wooden floor, concentrating on his breath and heartbeat as he checked his pockets almost automatically. He didn't lose anything on the run, everything was still at it's place - his knife, his gun, the ammo and most of all his small backpack keeping his supplies in place.

Jaska smiled as he dared to close his eyes for a few minutes, enjoying the silence before he would get up again, strolling the lonely roads almost as if he was one of those who turned.

He noticed a red cloth being pinned against the door from the inside as he wanted to leave the building.

"We left for the realm, we believe in The King!" it said written in while chalk with shaky hands. Jaska stuck the cloth into one of his countless pockets, leaving into the heat again - a small black barrett would help him not merciless melt below the summer sun.

"The King, another note about him. Sounds interesting enough to follow the clues and pay him a visit." Jaska muttered to himself, keeping his eyes open for other red pieces of clothing, paint or symbols showing the way to the realm of the great King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaska is the grumpy soldier once again but in relation to the original I pulled the stick out of his ass.  
> Appearance not mentioned in the chapter: Jaska wears a full blown camouflage uniform as the soldier he is. Jaska further has a prominent scar on the right side of his face, going from his forehead way down onto his cheek. His hair is short (2017/2018) but he has a floofy full beard.


	4. I Need A Title (Intro)

Jari yawned as he stared at his notebook, reading the introduction of his drabble over and over again to find a title for his new piece. There was enough inspiration for the book in the world he was living in, yet without a title Jari didn't know where to begin writing at all.

He snapped the book shut, just storing it back in his backpack as he heard muffled deep breaths strolling around the building in which he was hiding.

"Fuck." he hissed, searching for his knife before he remembered again that he lost it when he was escaping some Other Ones the other day. He wasn't certainly good at fighting and he would rather avoid any violence, yet the turned didn't understand the concept of pacifism.

The roof, the writer thought and tried to silently crawl upwards the stairs, yet obviously creating much more sounds than he wished he would, alarming the small horde that gathered around the house. Jari was scared, that's not how he wanted to die but without a wonder he most likely would. They could smell him, they wouldn't become tired to hunt him down and what was even worse was that once Jari reached the roof of the house, the Other Ones were already seen climbing said location.

The writer curled himself together, trying to make himself as small as possible while hoping that the monsters would just look over him or something. It was ridiculous, he was well aware of that, yet it was his only way out of that whole situation.

"Hey, you can get up, they're gone." a rough voice reached Jari's ears, only slowly did he dare looking at the person who seemingly saved him, only to almost fall off the roof because of the shock he got. One of the Other Ones stood in front of him, tall and intimidating, yet not hostile at all.

"Calm down, okay! I'm Jani, I know I look like them but I am  _ sane _ . We exist too, sane Other Ones. Believe me, the feral ones would not voluntarily wear socks." the turned man raised his leg, only to pull up his dirty and ripped jeans to show me that he indeed wore socks.

"You ... you're one of them?" Jari frowned, yet he kind of trusted the man in front of him, for whatever reason, so he slowly raised himself.

"The difference between me and them is that the disease did not intoxicate my brain and thus I am a fully functioning human, I just look a bit burnt. And the feral ones leave me alone, that's a nice plus." Jani explained, holding out his hand to help the writer onto his legs.

"I'm Jari, then. Where are you heading, if you're heading somewhere at all?" he asked as he brushed the dirt from his baggy clothes, pulling the hood back over his head to hide his long brown hair and finally adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"I heard that all folks are welcome in the realm of The King. There is not much to do or to go for someone looking like me, so that's basically my last and only option." Jani explained as they climbed back down the building, ending up on the sideways in front of it again.

"Mind if we travel together? I could use a companion that keeps me safe from the Other Ones, I'm a bad fighter." the smaller man asked, receiving a well meant but still creepy looking smile from the other man.

"I'd be very happy to have some company!" Jani agreed and they continued their journey together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jari is a writer in this fic! Working on his WIP and we will find out more about that in the future. Jani is a "sane Other One", aka he is not hostile or any threat (only if he wants to, obviously).  
> Appearances not mentioned in the chapter: I wrote it down but Jari has still got his long hair plus beard in here. Jani however looks kinda like his body has been thrown into a boiling bowl of water (or acid). He and the feral Other Ones share the same look, although he wears normal clothes (and socks) and they apparently do not. For reference give the Ghouls from the "Fallout" series a look, then you'll have something visible.


	5. He Does Wear Socks

Olli couldn't believe his eyes as he saw a person on the other side of the road as he left the building he just raided. He hadn't seen a living human being ever since he started his journey from the harbor.

What stood out most from the other man was his full body camouflage uniform, one only a soldier of the old world would wear. Olli wondered for a moment if he should approach the man or run for his life, yet something carried his feet closer - abruptly stopping as he could see the dark-haired's face, an ugly scar grinning out of it.

"I'm not a bad guy, buddy." the soldier said, raising his arms while still holding his knife in his hands.

"How can I trust you?" Olli hissed, tightening his grip around the anchor.

"I'm on my way to The King, see? Name's Jaska, if you're interested." the soldier explained, pulling a red cloth out of his pocket. Olli wrinkled his forehead, yet letting his hands slide off his weapon.

"I'm Olli, on the same trail as you are." he stated, reaching out for a handshake that was answered by Jaska without hesitation. Something was off about the taller man, yet Olli couldn't tell what it was that his feelings warned him about. A travel-companion would've been practical though, so the blondie asked the other man right away to tag along.

"Mind if we travel together and get to know each other a bit more? You're the first person I meet in days, actually." he explained, the soldier nodded as he stuck his knife into the holster by his belt.

"I personally prefer being a lone wanderer but if you're asking this nicely I can't say no." Jaska grinned and Olli shivered, the scar in the man's face might've been more intimidating than thought.

"Can I ask y-" the blondie began, being interrupted by Jaska clearing his throat while holding up his finger.

"We can travel together under one condition: Don't. Ask. About. The. Scar." he hissed, Olli raised his arms defeated, expecting the soldier to stab him with the next move but he remained peaceful.

The smaller man shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea what to expect of Jaska, yet as they walked the empty roads, raided abandoned houses and put up their sleeping places together, both men slowly got used to the other. It was a weird friendship but nevertheless still one that could be called that way.

//

"My god, that guy over there in the distance seems to be followed by one of the Other Ones!" Marko exclaimed, pointing at two faint human shapes down the road he and Markus were walking. The mechanic chuckled, pulling the spear he made out of the bag he crafted.

"My specialty." he grinnedy receiving an eyeroll of the medic.

"Can you not think about revenge for once? I don't think the Other One is feral." Marko stated, now making Markus laugh out loud.

"You believe these things still have some humanity left inside of them? You are kidding." the bald man now firmly gripped his hands around the metal stick, walking faster to catch up with the two "people" making their way on the same street as the duo.

The closer they got, the more sceptical Marko became about the Other One, yet Markus had been in a rampage so that was a lost case.

"Hey, you! Behind you!" Markus shouted as they were close enough to the other twine -  _ have they just been talking to each other? Don't Other Ones usually wear weathered ripped clothes or none at all? They can talk?? _

"Oh no." Marko muttered, storing his machete back into the hoslter while catching up on his friend, grabbing his belt just in time before Markus could stab the suspected enemy from behind.

"This is not what it looks like!" the smaller, long haired man screamed, hiding the Other One behind himself. That one just sighed, grabbing the smaller man's shoulders.

"Jari, this happens all the time, I'm used to this." he muttered.

An uncomfortable silence spread around the group of four, confused stares being shared until the mechanic finally decided to lower his spear and the medic could let go of him.

"I'm Jani." the Other One explained "I'm not feral, I am sane. I look like them, I know, but I am no threat. We are on our way to The King, I saved my mate from being killed by my feral brethren."

"That's right, he's just like you and me, don't you dare injuring him. I'm Jari, by the way." the writer tried calming his breath. He was a pacifist by nature but someone daring to hurt his friends made him ignore his principles without effort.

"Marko. That's Markus. Sorry for him, it's just the way he is." the medic chuckled as he pushed his friend away so there would happen to be more distance between him and Jani. The mechanic couldn't stop staring at the Other One, not entirely sure if it was fascination or hate.

"We are on our way to The King too, actually." Marko added, receiving a nod from the two men in front of him.

"We could travel together, Jani is capable of scaring off the real Other Ones, he's a nice companion." Jari stated, receiving a laughter from the mechanic.

"As if I travel with one of these creatures voluntarily!" he hissed, yet being startled by Jani reaching out his hand.

"I swear, I would've killed my mate by now would I be any danger to a human." he explained in a gentle voice. Markus stared at Jani's weathered hand, only hesitatingly accepting the handshake - after Marko pushed his ellbow in the mechanic's ribs.

It felt odd at first, for all of them, yet as the four men got to know each other better it was almost right away forgotten that Jani looked different and actually belonged to the enemy's side. It took them only a few days to grow so close that Markus would swear to kill anyone trying to injure Jani. The Other One actually never wanted to count as "fragile cargo" and be protected by humans, yet he also enjoyed his small fame among the group more than he wanted to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear once they are all together this fic will become more interesting, but these assemble chapters have to be xD


	6. Six Hands

The sailor and the soldier did not expect someone already being in the house they just wanted to raid, so they found themselves standing in front of a man with long brown hair and a cracked glasses on his nose. He held his arms in the air as Jaska was - for whatever reason - holding a gun into his face.

"Calm down, big boy." the writer muttered, slowly walking backwards until he reached the wall, alarming his friend with the sound of him slumping against it.

"You will regret this." Jari tried being calm, it wasn't the first time he looked into a gun but it was nevertheless unsettling.

"Jaska, put that goddamn gun down!" Olli cursed, trying to take the weapon out of his companions hand - obviously failing.

From there on, everything went way too fast.

Jani appeared in the doorway next to Jari, starling Jaska which gave Markus, who was hiding behind the staircase, enough time to charge the soldier and drag him down - both men ending up in a horribly violent fist fight.

"Please! We mean no harm!" Olli shouted at Jari who slowly distanced himself from the happening as yet another blondie appeared from another door to approach the two fighting men.

"You both, stop! The gun is secured!" Marko shouted, pulling the mechanic out of the fight while Jani did the same with the soldier.

"Get this thing away from me! Why is nobody doing anything!" Jaska screamed as he fought against the Other One's strong grip, underestimating the pure strength these creatures had. Jani stayed serene, holding the soldier until he would calm down while the other men cared for Markus.

"Don't worry, we are used to a guy who attacks first and then asks, am I right?" Marko grinned at Olli while checking the wounds the mechanic had - only a few scratches and a bleeding nose, nothing severe.

"I'm so sorry for him. I'm Olli, that's Jaska, we are heading for the realm, The King." the sailor explained as he watched how his mate slowly calmed himself, probably accepting his death that would not come.

"I'm Jari." the writer nodded at Olli, then pointing at the two men next to them. "These are Markus and Marko, latter is our medic. The guy who's holding down your friend is Jani. Yes, he belongs to the Other Ones but he is sane and means absolutely no harm."

"These exist?" Olli looked at said man in awe, quite fascinated.

"Yes, we do." Jani hummed, now letting go of Jaska who immediately went hostile again, now pulling out his knife (as Marko grabbed his gun off the floor before).

"I don't trust you!" the soldier hissed, yet at the same time not really daring to step closer to Jani.

"It's up to you who you trust. Everyone in this room is chill, except you. Think that through." Jani stated, making Jaska look around himself just to realize that he looked absolutely ridiculous.

The soldier stuck his knife back into his pocket just as Markus and the medic raised back from the ground.

"We should head outside, this space is too cramped for my likings." Marko exclaimed, and to his surprise everyone followed his order without hesitation.

"Alright so all of us are on the same path: The King." Markus stated as he looked into the round, met by nods.

"We can travel together, under conditions." Marko added.

"Protect Jani at all cost, his greatest danger are people who are very trigger-happy." Olli explained.

"No useless fights, at least for as long as I am present." Jari pointed out.

"No questions about the scar." Jaska growled.

"I am your leader and if anyone wants to fight this - don't even try it. Deal on all of this?" the mechanic now looked for approval, receiving a yes from all other five men.

The group was assembled, a wild pile of six men who couldn't be even more different. They didn't know what kind of adventures awaited them, what curses would crawl onto them or which blessings would shine among them - yet they were glad to be together to walk the long exhausting path to meet The King, their suspected savior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PotF-guys assemble! Now we can finally get some plot going. If you wonder about the two additional guys in the character tags - we will meet them soon enough. :3


	7. Alpha

It didn't take the two "Alpha males" long to start fighting with each other, they only made it one day before Jaska placed a small sarcastic joke against the mechanic, bringing that one to the ceiling and start a horrible small war through fists and words. None of the other members of the group really wanted to interfere with the two men of which each was obviously stronger than a regular human.

"Do I really have to?" Jani rolled his eyes, folding up the sleeves of his messed up sweater already.

"Please." Olli begged, so the Other One stepped forward, right into the fighting mess just to pull his mates away from each other, holding them like feral cats by their necks.

"Stop, for the love of god, just stop." Jani hissed, throwing both Jaska and Markus into opposite directions - the mechanic onto the street and the soldier into a nearby bush. Afterwards it became dead silent on the abandoned street.

Markus growled, pushing himself up again to charge the soldier but Jani pushed him back once again, a death stare playing in his eyes which calmed the mechanic more than it should.

"Idiot motherfucker." Markus hissed for one last time, grabbing his bag from the floor to continue walking. None of the other group members dared to follow their angry member, at least not until the soldier would too catch up to them.

Jaska huffed as he crawled out of the bush, being visibly injured from the fight as he held his left torso in pain. Marko immediately rushed to his side, yet not receiving the expected reaction.

"Leave me alone!" Jaska growled, stumbling onto his legs and almost back onto the concrete as he picked up his own bag.

"You do not look healthy." Marko insisted but hit a wall against Jaska.

"I look like shit, I know, that's default." the soldier whined out, continuing the way with a limp and pained huffs at times. Marko turned towards the other three members - Jani shaking his head, Olli sighing and Jari looking after the wounded.

An uncomfortable situation for all of them, as they obviously were not  _ this _ close yet. Hopes were placed that Jaska and Markus just needed to warm up with each other and that these fights were not something happening daily from then on.

Jari couldn't stand the pained moans coming from the separate room where Jaska decided to sleep - away from everyone else because it somehow hurt his dignity to be injured in front of civilians. Carefully the writer shifted through the other five sleeping spots to reach the door to "Jaska's room", hesitatingly pushing it open.

It hurt him to see his group mate like this, curling on his blanket in pain while trying to find a position in which his torso wasn't stinging of pain.

"Jaska, you need help." Jari hummed, kneeling down next to the other man. It felt odd to him that he actually felt as if he had to take care of the man who wanted to shoot him just a day ago.

"I don't need help. I have to do this on my own." the soldier growled, yet for some reason being already much calmer, now that someone was next to him.

"You don't have to do anything alone. Forget your principles, this is a whole new world and it's easier to work hand in hand than head against head." Jari smiled, carefully grabbing said hand of the man who was now laying on his back, breathing deeply.

"I don't know what he did but it hurts." Jaska huffed, now focusing onto the pretty brown eyes of the writer. They were sparkling in awe, how could his gaze be so hopefully in these dark times they were living in.

"Should I wake up Marko, he could-" Jari suggested but was interrupted by Jaska shushing him right away.

"I would be more comfortable if  _ you _ would look after me, not him." the soldier whispered, defeated. Jari blinked his eyes, crooking his head questioning just to receive a nod from the other man.

The writer was glad that the light of his flashlight did not shine into his face, else it would had been visible how deep he was blushing as he helped Jaska out of his uniform jacket and afterwards the grey shirt he wore underneath - revealing the fit physique of the soldier. Among countless scars and healed bruises, Jari found a deep reddish-blue spot just underneath Jaska's left chest.

"It's not the rib, I think." the taller man huffed as the other gently placed his hand on the wound that was almost burning of heat … just like a small flick of unbearable tension building up between them.

"It's the rib, but it's not broken. It's sprained, I'm familiar with this kind of injury." Jari hummed, now caressing the other man's muscles carefully. It didn’t happen every day that he would have a shirtless and handsome man laying in front of him, after all.

"You're familiar with this? How?" Jaska now found his hand grabbing the one of the other that was not occupied with his torso. The tension between them and their gazes was now almost visible, small fires igniting in each of their eyes.

"It doesn't matter ... for now." Jari whispered, now slowly taking his hands off his mate, realizing how hot it became in that small sideroom.

Jaska felt weirdly at ease as he put his clothes back on, as if Jari somehow killed most of his pain just with his touch.

"Thank you. I think I can sleep better now." he muttered, realizing how ridiculous he must've looked like but he felt that something had switched between him and the writer, something he couldn't grasp yet - but Jari felt the same thing, a bit weaker.

"Sleep well, maybe we can continue some conversation tomorrow." Jari smiled, pushing himself back onto his feet, silently returning into the bigger room again where their mates were still sleeping peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe. Tension.


	8. Traveling Is Easier Light-Hearted

It was rather calm once the group packed their bags to continue their trail the next day. Jaska and Markus went out of each other's ways, not wanting to rile up the mood again, which also worked surprisingly well.

Jari was walking silently next to the soldier, thoughts about the passed night snapped back into his mind. The writer was a pacifist, hating violence more than anything else and having a gun being held into his face at first meeting wasn't quite polite, yet he still felt the tension between him and Jaska. He liked the taller guy, somehow. Something was thrilling him when he thought about the soldier ... something longing. The writer couldn't understand why he would feel this way about a man who built a living on causing violence - as he swore himself ever since it happened to stay away from any hurtful people. That was before the world changed, of course, and Jari hated that he himself too brought some Other Ones into the afterlife.

For the first time in his life, Jaska was unable to put his thoughts into words. He too thought about what happened hours ago between him and the writer. Once Jaska woke up, he felt almost free of pain again. True, his sprained rib didn't heal suddenly overnight but Jari made it endurable. He knew that said man walked just behind him and their groupmates were sunken in conversation - so why not both of them either?

They were out of words to say, like two teenagers crushing on each other and being too shy to say something - but where was the difference?

Jari caught up with his steps to now be next to Jaska, smiling at the taller man. It made the soldier weak, rare that he ever felt such want to protect a certain person. Why was his head filled with Jari now, why couldn't he focus on anything else.

"You feel better, I see." the writer now chuckled, eyeing his mate again from head to toe.

"I do, yes. Thank you, again. You really calmed me down." Jaska muttered, cursing himself as he realized he spoke like a coward. "I still wonder why you're familiar with sprained muscles, thought." he added, now slowly gaining more confidence.

"I told you that this is a story for another time, it shouldn't matter for now." Jari now grinned, resisting the urge to somehow touch the other man. Just some affection, the smalles body contact possible.

"I can't understand why there's such a wedge between you and Markus. You could work together, even." Jari suggested, making Jaska lose his faint smile again.

"He himself decided to be the leader, with his huge ego and horrible attitude. Not that I would per se say that I should be the head of our group but in matters of experience I am way more advanced than he is. I'm also not as emotional as he is." the soldier explained, side-eyeing the man they talked about.

"Fair enough, after last night I doubt the latter, thought." Jari raised a brow, now gently patting against Jaska's arm.

"I choose who to show my feelings ..." he murmured with a grin, making both men laugh out loud.

Marko had to smile as he heard the laughter of the two men, turning towards Olli who walked next to him.

"The tension between them is almost visible, even for me." the medich chuckled, receiving a shaking head from the smaller man.

"I don't think that Jaska is the right guy for him. Hell, Jaska isn't the right guy for anyone." Olli stated, met by disagreement.

"Everyone deserves to be loved, just give them a chance. Jari still has us to turn to when he needs help. I doubt Jaska needs us, so fair enough." Marko explained, Olli humming now that he saw it a different way.

"How about you, before the world changed? Relationships, whatsoever?" the sailor asked.

"I've been a paramedic in my old life, do you think I had the time for any relationships? Or just the money to afford it? Stay realistic." the taller man laughed out loud.

"Alright, yeah. I understand you." Olli joined his laughter, wondering why he even asked such an odd question.

"The soldier dislikes us, I dislike that too but who am I to judge." Jani stated, almost stumbling into a hole in the concrete as he was focused on Jaska.

"He's a miserable person. Wouldn't Olli and apparently Jari like him so much I would suffocate him in his sleep." Markus hissed, receiving what would be raised eyebrows - would Jani still have any.

"Alright that's tough. Wishing someone's death is not okay, even more if you're forced to work with them." the Other One calmed his mate down.

"You're right. I still hate him, though. He thinks he's someone special just because he's wearing this uniform." the mechanic continued talking bad about the soldier.

"Just promise to stop these physical fights, none of us enjoys them and all we have afterwards are two hurt and cranky men. Else I decide to take your crown and I know how much that would hurt your ego." Jani grinned, intimidating Markus.

"Alright, I'll try. But if he starts I will fight back in no second. And for the love of god, stop smiling like this." the mechanic shivered, making the Other One laugh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mhhhh the gay.


	9. Friend or Enemy?

Woken up by fists hitting against the dirty windows of the withered building, everyone of the group had been at high alert almost immediately, jumping up from their sleeping places to gather into a circle, fearing the horde coming at them any time.

"We need a plan, boys. I don't have anything useful to say about this." Markus muttered as he tried to guess just how many of those were trying to get inside, tightening the grip around his selfmade spear.

"You never have anything useful to say." Jaska muttered, receiving a hit against his shoulder from Olli, who stood between him and the mechanic.

"Shut the fuck up." the smaller man hissed, seeing how Markus was visibly proud that the sailor was on his side. Olli was on nobody's side but his own, yet for the safety of the group he wouldn't want another fight to ignite among them.

Jari stood aside together with Jani while the other four were obviously ready to fight. Not only didn't they possess any weapons, they were also highly against the use of those and thus Jani spoke up to the group.

"You don't have to fear them, just store away you weapons." he tried to calm the furious men in front of him - a quite difficult task to begin with.

"You just want to feed us to them, huh?" Jaska hissed, now pointing his knife towards Jani again, who wasn't much intimidated still.

"Your brain exists of pure helium, dumbass." Olli spoke up against Jaska, waving his anchor dangerously close in front of the soldier. It made him mad that the taller man was so hostile. True, he couldn't see what he might had experienced in his life before - yet all of them were stuck in the same situation and attacking your mates was definitely not the correct solution.

"Put that knife down." Jari muttered, staring into Jaska's ice cold eyes to somehow reach out to him, show him that he didn't have to fear for anything.

"Thank you." Olli rolled his eyes as he saw the soldier storing away the knife, the sailor now too packing the selfmade morning star back against his bag. Little did the smaller man know that the writer made Jaska to lower the knife, not his insults which were just as useless as the fights he wanted to avoid.

"You better now have a good plan how to get us out of here, else I am concerned." Marko huffed as he saw how the metal that was holding the door in place slowly loosened.

"Leave that up to me. You seem to forget that I am one of them." Jani smirked, gently shoving Jari against their mates to walk towards said door which was now almost collapsing.

Jari pressed himself against Marko, shivering of fear as the Other One decided to open the door just like that. The medic held the writer strong without hesitation, he didn't even think about not comforting everyone who had been afraid. Markus was only impressed a little about what he saw while Olli held Jaska's arm, just to be sure that the soldier wouldn't charge Jani from behind.

The horde was seen gathering in front of the door where Jani suddenly built himself up in front of them. The group knew that their Other One was stronger than a regular human - but in this moment he seemed to grow in size, become even more intimidating than he was before. It was silent for a solid minute when the horde outed painful screams, fleeing from Jani merely staring at them, it was horrible to look at.

Jaska began to tremble, he wasn't afraid of anything but Jani was just something out of this world. He took a few steps back as the Other One turned around, the well known terrifying smile playing on his lips.

"You don't have to be afraid, Jaska." he hummed, trying to approach the soldier.

"Stay away, freak!" Jaska felt horrible in this moment, almost cornered by everyone as if he did something wrong.

"Don't call him freak, you're the one with an ugly ass scar in your face." the mechanic hissed from behind Jani, making Marko finally speak up about the whole situation.

"Can you please calm down, all of you!" he unwrapped his arms from Jari, who now felt much safer again, and approached Jaska, pulling that one aside to talk among four eyes.

"I don't know what you've already seen in your life but it's okay, calm down. It can be terrifying but Jani is on our side. You're not alone, you can always come to me if you need to talk ... or perhaps Jari too, you seem to trust him a bit more." Marko gently smiled, placing his hands on Jaska's shoulders.

The soldier nodded, searching for the needed confidence in the eyes of the medic before they would return to the group.

"I'm ... sorry." Jaska murmured, feeling as small and vulnerable as never in his life before.

"It's okay, I never expect someone to hug me on first sight. I hope we can become friends nevertheless, sooner or later." Jani nodded, holding out his hand for Jaska to shake it, which he also hesitatingly did.

Jari had watched everything from a distance, the whole image he had of the soldier being turned by 180 degrees. Jaska was vulnerable, Jaska was anxious and Jaska had - just as Jari himself - not a joyful life beforehand.

Jaska wore his scars openly, what would happen once he sees Jari's scars ...


	10. It's Just You And Me And The End Of The World (Out Of The Dark, Into The Light)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title hella long but that's the vibe. Also this and almost all chaps from now on feature M/M relationship(s).

It was quick to decide who would pair up with who as the group split up to search a huge abandoned forest-hotel for supplies - Marko and Olli, Markus and Jani, Jaska and Jari.

Latter were seen stumbling through some empty hotel rooms, trying to search left suitcases for anything useful. It was there when Jari had felt that small spark inside of him and he turned around to Jaska standing right in front of him. Oh to touch him again, just to be close to him. Why was he longing so much for being close to Jaska, why did he unconsciously raise his hands, placing one onto his strong arms, the other against his chest?

Jaska gulped as he looked at the man in front of him. The feel of his warm hands burned through the uniform. He knew that their mates were in whole different parts of the building, they were alone and there was nothing to stand between them. Jaska carefully placed his hands against both of his mate's cheeks, biting his lips before a faint "I like you." escaped them.

Jari began breathing heavier as he shifted closer toward the soldier, now feeling the exhaling air from Jaska's nose in his face - as he was quite a tad shorter than the other man. It would be now to seal the deal, Jari betraying what he swore to himself months ago but it felt so good.

Jaska took the initiative, leaning down just to hesitate centimeters in front of Jari's lips meeting his. Was that what he craved for? That he didn't want to protect Jari but actually love him and be with him? It had been ages since the soldier fell in love for the last time, but all his doubts were pushed away as Jari craned his neck to make their mouths hitting each other, just for a few seconds.

Jaska had to keep himself together, carefully walking Jari and himself back against a wall to now look at the smaller man again. There was something in Jari's eyes that screamed at him, screamed for more and him alone. That's when their lips met for a second, longer time. Jaska felt the writer's fingers digging into his arm, the other pulling at his collar to somehow get some hold, while Jaska now found his hands roaming Jari's body, slowly trailing downwards - yet once he arrived at Jari's hips, wanting to go even lower to simply pick the other man up to have a more comfortable experience, the writer suddenly pulled out of the kiss, immediately grabbing Jaska's hands to get them away from him.

"Don't pick me up, don't ruin this moment by picking me up." Jari huffed, eyes glassy as he hoped that Jaska would understand as he really craved for more.

"You ..." the soldier was startled, already slowly backing up in fear that he did something wrong, yet Jari held both of his hands close as he didn't want Jaska to go.

"Let's not talk about traumas and panic, let's just ..." the smaller man looked around them, spotting the bed that stood in the middle of the room. Quickly he shoved Jaska against it, pushing the soldier down onto it and crawling on top of him. Much better, much more comfortable.

"I don't mind this either." Jaska now grinned as he pulled Jari closer again, watching how that one took the glasses off his nose before dedicating into another kiss lasting for minutes.

Jaska felt sat back into a world that was still okay, when his only struggles were the question what to eat for dinner while he would make out with a person he dearly loved.

Jari quickly fought off his feelings of guilt, it had been an eternity since he felt this honestly loved by a person. Jaska would be different, Jaska cared and knew the pain Jari felt. There were not as different as they thought.

"I like you, too." Jari hummed after they had parted, lips sore from the past minutes. Jaska brushed the long strands of hair out of the writer's face, taking in the beauty that was the guy he loved for one last time before he pushed his torso upwards, now sitting on the bed with Jari on his lap.

"I love you." Jaska muttered, almost inaudible as his hands were back at cupping the writers cheeks. Jari's skin felt incredibly gentle, just like the soft feeling of his beard against Jaska's when they kissed. It was almost perfect, would there not be Jaska's fear about doing something wrong - Jari didn't want to be picked up and for some reason he felt that Jari didn't want to hug him either.

"Let me put my glasses back on for this." the smaller man grinned, doing said action to now stare into Jaska's blue eyes again. He felt lost when I looked into them, what he didn't know was that the taller man melted when he looked into the shining brown eyes of the writer just as much. Their admiration for each others was equal, so it wasn't hard for them to speak out what was hanging in the air above them

"I love you too, I want you close to me." Jari now stated, grabbing Jaska's collar to pull him into another kiss, hungry and desperate this time.

"Will you ever tell me why you are ... you know?" Jaska asked as he stored some canned food he found into his bag, looking at Jari who was gazing out of the window.

"It doesn't matter." Jari sighed. "For now."

"Alright." Jaska whispered. It hurt him to see Jari like this ... to see his partner like this.

I was an odd feeling to connect back with the other four guys in the lobby to share what each of them had found, as the soldier and the writer weren't much a fan of exposing their feelings to their mates, so they kept whatever happened in that hotel room for them.

It was more that nice to see that each pair collected enough to keep the group alive for quite some days further, until they would finally arrive in the realm of the King and hopefully find proper shelter there.

They were closer than they thought to the sanctuary, yet it didn't feel much like it. It wouldn't ever feel like home, that's what the King made sure of even weeks before they would even meet him.


	11. My Best Friend In This Life

Marko flinched as he heard a pained scream coming from across the hallway, immediately rushing through the doorways to find his smaller, blonde mate holding his left hand in pain.

“I’m okay! I’m okay.” Olli immediately hissed to play down the situation and don’t cause a drama, yet the puddle of blood forming on the floor below him told another story. Marko eyed the situation, a broken display window next to Olli, bloody shards of glass on the ground and stuck in the display itself a framed rifle.

“Does it hurt? Can you move your fingers still?” the medic asked calmly, inspecting the cut on Olli’s hand.

“Obviously it hurts but everything still works, I guess.” the smaller man hissed as Marko ripped around his hand, staring into the bleeding gap as if it was a goldmine.

“Isn’t too deep, you’re lucky. Do you still have the duct tape in your bag?” the medic asked with a serious face, making Olli wheeze.

“How is duct tape related to patching me up?” he chuckled, waiting until Marko too would laugh but that one stayed dead serious, waiting for Olli’s reply to the question.

“You’re serious?” he muttered as his laughter faded, receiving a pair of rolled eyes from the other man.

“Yes.” Marko huffed, walking over to the bag sitting in the corner of the room to grab said duct tape. Almost skillfully, the medic ripped off a small piece just to tape it down onto Olli’s hand, sticking the wound back together. “That will do it, keep it on until it falls off by itself.” the medic added, proud of his small creation.

“Did you just- alright then.” Olli raised his brows, wondering why and how he even ended up in this whole situation.

“I will not do a surgery on you now. We are trying to survive, not to be pretty.” Marko chuckled, now eyeing the rifle in the display again. “Let’s hope your wound was worth it, though.” he added, carefully taking the gun into his hands. It was heavy, partial weight and partial hurt it caused.

“I haven’t found any ammo yet, maybe we should show Jaska what we found, he’s familiar with this kind of weaponry.” Olli stated, picking up his bag again. “What have you found?”

“Not much, a handful of things I could use to craft and also two whole unused first-aid kits. I am slowly becoming the wasteland doctor, an upgrade on the medic-title.” Marko laughed, heading towards the staircase that would lead them back to the group again. The two men got along well, while each of their mates somehow had problems with the other, Marko and Olli never had an argument just once, almost immediately they made it to communicate through gazes alone and they already knew that it would either be both of them or none at all. If only they had met in a more normal setting, not a world infested by a deadly disease.


	12. You're fine. I'm fine. As it should be.

Jaska almost loudly shrieked as Jani suddenly appeared next to him ripping the soldier out of his daydreams. The heat of the summer sun was more than exhausting for all members of the group - the only one seemingly not being affected by it at all was the Other One.

"See, if you keep spooking me I will never get used to you." the soldier growled at Jani, who only chuckled about the fact that he actually made it to scare the badass once again.

"You don't have to get used to me, just some decent tolerance would be acceptable." he added, Jaska shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean ... you're actually fine. I'm just ... bad at making friends." the soldier muttered, fighting against the shameful blush that formed on his cheeks. He hated how much each member of their group triggered his weaknesses almost randomly, on a daily basis. Obviously they all were aware that Jaska wasn't invincible, nor a certainly good soldier - yet they kept up the image that they "owned" a man-sized fighting machine.

"If you don't want to befriend me, that's also fine by me. If we interact with respect, that's all I can ask for." Jani nodded, patting his mate's shoulder. Respect, easy as that?

The images of Jani scaring the feral ones away flashed back in front of Jaska's eyes. The Other One was dangerous, yet also more useful than the soldier will ever be.

"Aye, that could work, for now." Jaska huffed, receiving a rare wholesome smile of his mate.

"What will you do once we arrive at the realm, huh?" the mechanic asked the long haired man as they walked next to each other, trying to kill the time they had to spend walking and even more walking for days. They felt how close they were to reach The King, to finally get their promised new home. The mechanic had already drawn himself a mental image of what would happen once they reached the sanctuary. He could finally dedicate back to his beloved hobby, repairing cars while keeping Marko out of trouble - who would probably return to his job as a paramedic just as much.

"Curl myself up in a corner forever and write my novel." Jari huffed, checking if his pen was still in his pocket. He only had a single one left, oddly enough he couldn't find any new ones in the past days as they looted several houses.

"Your novel?" Markus raised his brows, honest wonder playing in his eyes.

"It's a love story. I named it "Children of the Sun". I only have a tiny drabble yet, thought." Jari murmured, not feeling quite comfortable to talk about his work in this early stage but what else should he do.

"What a name, wow." the mechanic chuckled. He didn't quite understand the fuzz about writers, art was just not his cup of tea.

"I know. It will make sense once I went on with the story." Jari tried to end the conversation with his mate as he knew that he wouldn't reach the right receptors with Markus - he would rather prefer talking to Marko about it ... or even Jaska, at least a little bit.

* * *

_~~~Children of the Sun~~~_

_Noe Mikkonen (26)_

_Mila Aho (31)_

_They met in darkness, in the middle of the day._

_They are lost._

_They had found each other._

_Will they stay together?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The novel is heeeeeere! You will notice it every time we focus on the novel, as in this chap :3 A rather short one but next one will be biggg.


	13. Sanctuary Is Just A Word

"Enemy ahead." Markus hissed as he spotted a figure sprinting at them from a distance, flicking out his metal stick in the same second, ready to fight at any second. Almost automatically those who too possessed weapons followed what their leader was doing, the medic hesitating with his action while Jari and Jani backed up.

"I don't think that this is an enemy. Jani?" Marko exclaimed, turned to his mate who too eyed the approaching being.

"It is none of the Others, that's for sure. We run differently from you people." he stated, catching up with the mechanic to grab that one's shoulder. It was somehow a thing between Jani and Marko, either of them calming their quick-tempered Captain - else that one would explode at every minor inconvenience.

"HEY! YOU!" a scream was heard coming from what was obviously a person rushing into their direction, Olli and Jaska went into defense mode while the other group members waited for what was happening. It turned out to be a man, looking as if he literally went through hell and back again. Marko was conflicted, as a medic he wanted to help each and every person needing him … but this guy seemed way too odd to commit to - even for that very certain paramedic.

The guy stopped a small distance in front of the group, catching his breath, almost coughing out his own lungs. Jaska carefully raised his gun, his finger well chosen not even near the trigger.

"What do you want?" he barked, making the man shiver as he took in the full image that was Jaska Mäkinen - the guy who looked like a war-machine but really wasn't one.

"I'm getting the fuck out of here, no ten horses can get me back to the King. If you're heading for him, turn around and leave. We're all fucked, the world is fucked, I rather die out there than in this realm!" the man hissed, spitting out before he continued to run away, not even turning around anymore - leaving the group in awkward silence.

"Well." Markus raised his brows, storing the stick away. "That was hilarious."

"Alarming, not hilarious." Jari stated, walking over to his partner to search for comfort.

"Agreed." Jaska growled, shoving his gun into his holster again while giving Jari a faint smile.

"Remember that I am the boss, not you." Markus grinned, continuing the path without waiting for his mates.

"He's right, you know, but we don't like it either." Olli muttered as he passed the soldier and writer to follow the Captain, together with Marko.

Hesitatingly, the couple followed the group with a small distance to be out of hearing range.

"We should tell them." Jari huffed, searching for his partner's hand who, in reaction to that, pulled away his own.

"No, not yet." the soldier hissed, eyes focused on the road when he heard an angry growl from his side.

"Then when? I'm tired of pretending and not being able to be close to you! They won't have anything against it, I don't know where your problem lies!" Jari stated, obviously pissed off by the whole situation. He could already feel how being with Jaska started to affect his behavior.

"The problem walks right in front of us and is called "Captain"." Jaska rolled his eyes. As far as he accepted Jani co-existing next to him, Markus was still an absolute no-go for the soldier.

"For as long as I have my hands in this, Markus will shut up." Jari sighed, slowly catching up on the group again.

"You don't have to protect me." Jaska stated, not so quiet anymore as it made Olli turn his head to check on what was going on behind him.

"Shut up, I do." Jari shook his head, walking up to Marko to leave Jaska silently stepping after them.

_ He wouldn't admit that Jari was correct … but he couldn't deny it either. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mhm. The Boys.


	14. It's Like A Bad Trip On A Sinking Ship

"Nopeammin!" Marko shouted as he threw the mechanic off his legs the second time in a row, only fueling the anger that made Markus fight miserably. The group had decided to settle for a day as they had been walking for weeks without a real break - while Marko and Markus were busy sparring with wooden sticks, Jaska and Olli vanished somewhere and Jari sat next to Jani below a tree to escape the summer sun.

"Vittu!" Markus cursed, jumping back on his legs to attack Marko, who was obviously more thoughtful and made it to counter every single attack.

"See, ystävä, you fight like a tractor when you're in a bad mood - stiff and slow." Marko exclaimed, hitting his mate with the stick for a last time before dropping it on the ground.

"I'm just a little bit rusted." Markus tried to defend himself, not quite jumping on the wagon with the medic.

"You've been rusted for weeks, maybe you should take some fighting classes with sensei Saaresto." Marko chuckled, patting his mate's shoulder before sitting down to rest for a little bit. The mechanic was meanwhile pulled by ambition, continuing to practice his hits.

The writer pulled down the rolled-up sleeve of his hoodie, not because he was cold but he felt incredibly uneasy. The Other One immediately caught up on that, Jari being well aware of that too.

"What's troubling you, friend?" Jani hummed, placing his palm on Jari's shoulder.

"Too much. I'm still thinking about that random guy from yesterday." the smaller man muttered, staring at the patch of grass on which he was sitting.

"He's crazy, most of all. It happens to the best of us." Jani tried to explain, yet the writer wasn't having any of that.

"I don't think that he was crazy. People don't just … be like that." Jari tried to put into words what he was thinking, obviously failing. He had a bad feeling, usually he could always trust his feelings but then again, could a whole of six people be wrong?

"Sometimes there are things that happen to us that throw us off our legs, unexpectable. I think you know what I am talking about, huh?" the Other One smiled faintly, caressing Jari's shoulder to calm him down.

"I do … yeah, I do." the writer huffed. Why was his life so harsh to him?

He had Jaska, true, but at what cost? The soldier wasn't even there to comfort his partner, Jari didn't even know where Jaska was at all.

"There is something else on your heart, too." Jani shifted closer, knowing exactly how to read his friend.

"Promise-"

"I won't tell anyone, I give you my word." the Other One interrupted the writer. Jari took a deep breath, noticing how his hands were trembling at the thought of it.

"It's about Jaska …" the smaller man huffed, why was he suddenly so scared of telling the truth to his friend.

"You love him, and he loves you." Jani smiled, pulling the writer against himself.

"How?" Jari asked, raising his brows at the other man.

"Since I … turned … I developed an incredible knowledge of human nature, next to my physical strength. Next to that it's easy to see, the way you look at Jaska and vice versa, how he talks with you and you searching for moments to be near to him. He doesn't want the rest of us to know, right?" the taller man explained, hitting right into the sore spot.

"Yes. Like … I love him, I think … but he makes it so incredibly hard for me, him and his anxiety and missing self-confidence. Is it too much to ask to just hold hands? To share a smile, a kiss even? He's afraid of Markus' reaction, basically, or that's what he told me." Jari stated, grabbing his bag to search for a certain notebook he just had crossing his mind.

"He wants the best for you. He probably doesn't know where to start, but my feelings tell me that he's trying." Jani hummed, starting to raise onto his legs to get himself moving a little bit.

Jari sighed, looking up from the stack of books he now held in his hands. "Thank you, Jani."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're perhaps Finnish-speaking and annoyed by my bad choice of words from your wonderful language - I just wanna give our boys some life. We will have two German characters joining the story soon, then the German-speaking lads get their part too with random wordings that don't make sense (except that I speak German).


	15. The Beginning Of ...

The writer raised his brows, looking around himself to check who exactly had been around as they were looting a small grocery shop on the roadside. Marko and Jani stood a few meters away from him, he could hear Olli and Markus in the distance laughing about something … and Jaska, he stood right next to the smaller man, staring at the rotten fruits which were placed right in front of them.

"Jaska?" Jari hummed, searching for the eyes of his partner who now turned his gaze.

"Huh?" the soldier sighed, obviously being distracted by whatever was going on inside of his head. A solid few silent seconds played between the couple before Jari reached out his arms, wrapping them around Jaska's shoulders to pull him a soft kiss. To his surprise, the taller man only hesitated until he felt his partner against him, entirely ignoring that two of their group mates stood next to them.

"Naww." it reached the couples' ears, looking into Marko's smiling face as they faced him, Jani was seen giving his long haired friend a thumbs up.

"What was that for?" Jaska chuckled, dedicating back to the rotten fruits - whatever he was planning on doing with it.

"Kicking your ass." Jari huffed, feeling a pat on his shoulder as the medic approached him. The soldier gave a short laugh, turning around without batting an eye on his three friends standing next to him to walk into the direction of Markus and Olli, disappearing behind a handful of shelves.

"I'm sure you're the one who is able to handle him. Good luck." Marko stated, right afterwards being pulled into a short yet loving hug by the writer. Their joy was only of short time, though, as it was interrupted by a loud expression which must've been something like "Oh my fucking god, why?" out of the direction of the other half of the group. Alarmed, the writer rushed through the aisles followed by his two mates, just to spot Markus having his face buried in his palms while Olli and Jaska stared at him with questioning looks.

"Now I also got to care about a couple, amazing." the mechanic sighed, giving the two men he meant a gaze which wasn't one of disgust - surprisingly - but one of disapproval. At least he and Jaska wouldn't attack each other again, that was a relief.

"Markus, we are all adults, you don't have to care about any of us." the medic sighed, shoving his mates aside to reach the side of the mechanic.

"Shut up and grab what you have found, we will continue walking." Markus stated, visibly upset but in a very exhausted way.

"What have you done?" Jari hissed at his partner as they left the grocery shop, walking a bit behind their mates as always.

"Trusting the fact that you will keep our leader away from me and telling him and Olli what's going on between us from now on." Jaska wheezed, his backpack hadn't been this heavily filled ever since he escaped his dying unit with nothing more but what he had on himself.

"Oh well … good." the writer huffed, now hesitatingly reaching for Jaska's hand. "That means you're finally okay with this?"

Jaska nodded, giving his partner a smile as pure as he had never seen it of the soldier before. It was obvious how much of a weight went off his mental shoulders by handing out the facts to their mates - but just like everything in his power, he wouldn't admit this feeling of relief either.

It was Olli who spotted a prominent flag waving in their close view, a dark red banner with an even darker reddish crown painted on it - The Realm. Finally.

And as the group of survivors thought that they could breathe up at last, another two figurines were seen approaching them … 


	16. ... The Departure

"Help! We need help!" the taller one of the two approaching men screamed as he clenched his arms tightly around the smaller man next to him. The group halted, Jaska and Markus going in their usual defense mode while the other four parts of the group gathered behind them … not for long, though.

"That one is hurt." Marko muttered, shoving the soldier and the mechanic aside to see what exactly was approaching them, slowlier with every further step. Both of the men wore a semi-well protective uniform assembled with leather, red cloth and odd metal parts, the taller man had shiny blonde hair falling into his face, outstanding sharp facial features and obviously a panicked look on his face as he held his mate. That one was a tad smaller, dark and curly messed up hair sticking to his forehead, streaks of greying in both on his head and in the beard he had grown and - the issue in this whole situation - a gaping cut below his left eye that was furiously bleeding over half of his face and the clothes he wore.

"Vittu." Marko muttered as he rushed towards the two men, being pulled back by Markus.

"What if they are fooling us, huh? What if they are bad people?" the Captain hissed, receiving a slap against his chest from Marko.

"I'm a medic and I've always been a medic, and I've never got to choose who I care for and who not, just that every single person has the same worth in my work. He needs help." he hissed, now stepping over back to the men.

"We have to get some cover, let's get him over to that house." Marko muttered as he inspected the physical state of the dark haired man - which was everything but well. The medic pointed at Jani, signing him to help the blondie dragging the hurt man to said spot. Other than expected, the appearance of the Other One didn't spook out the strangers right at first sight, which surprised the whole group that now walked after the medic.

"Alright then, let's see what I have in my treasure chest." Marko muttered as he knelt down in front of the victim, zipping open his backpack to search for the tools he needed.

"Thank you … just … thank you." the blondie kept on huffing as he tightly held the hand of his mate. "My name's Moritz, he's Tobias." he kept on venting, now horribly starting to tremble.

"Calm down, Mo." Tobias murmured "We don't need you having a panic attack now."

"He's having a panic attack?" Marko looked at the taller man, who now began breathing heavily, added to his shaking arms.

Jaska, who together with the remaining mates just watched the situation, approached Moritz to get on eye height with him. At least it startled the blondie for a second as he saw the soldiers scar up close, that's all the time Jaska needed to get through to him.

"Breathe, together with me, deeply in and deeply out, evenly." the soldier stated, now going for Moritz' arms to hold them in place. Jaska? Calming a strangers' panic attack?

"Y- You …" Moritz huffed, being hushed by the soldier.

"Just breathe and think of your mate, he needs you." he smiled, watching how the trembling in Moritz' arms slowly calmed and that he was finally able to look at Tobias again, who just got an intense and painful cleaning of his wound.

"Are you gonna wrap him up with duct tape too?" Olli chuckled from the off, making Marko shake his head with a smile.

"Not exactly, his wound is a bit deeper than yours." the medic explained, unpacking a bunch of small white band aids which he sticked over the wound, bracketing it together. Jaska meanwhile gave Moritz a gentle smile as he raised again, looking into four confused faces as he turned around, yet he only cared about his partner.

"I guess you're familiar with panic attacks?" Jari causally noted, receiving an agreeing nod of Jaska. That explained it - and wasn't much of a surprise anymore.

"Done, can't help you with your clothing but at least your face should be fine now. You won't win a beauty contest like this anymore, though." the medic chuckled as he patted Tobias' shoulder, receiving a pained laughter of that one.

"Thank you so much, and no worries about the beauty contest, I've already found my partner for life." he stated, now pulling Moritz who was finally smiling again too in a short, loving kiss.

"I guess you're on the way to Miika?" Tobias asked as he felt strong enough to stand on his legs by himself again.

"Who's Miika?" Markus asked, crossing his arms. He still would've preferably left the two men on the roadside.

"The King, as he calls himself." Moritz hissed, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Don't, don't go further." Tobias huffed, searching for Marko's gaze, who was listening closely. "We used to be King's guards. We fled and we can't rest until we're out of the realm."

"Why should we believe you." Markus growled, disapproving.

"Trust me, first of all they would shoot your friend over there on sight." Tobias explained as he pointed at Jani. "And I feel well enough that these two over there have a thing going on, and …" he further now pointed at Jaska and Jari, stumbling over his words all of a sudden.

"The Realm is no place for us, for individuals who live out of the norm, especially homosexuals he hates more than anything else. Tobi got this wound from being beaten up just two days ago." Moritz continued his partners' train of thought before it became silent.

"If you want … Mo and I are still running for our lives … and we would feel much safer in such good company as you are." Tobias exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his partner to comfort himself.

"I have not walked all this way just to turn and keep on running as a headless chicken!" Markus shouted, grabbing his bag to leave the house - stopping in the doorway as he realized that nobody was following him.

"Are you really throwing away all bondings we have built in the past weeks?" Olli hissed, being almost ashamed of the mechanic's poor behavior. "I won't leave Jani behind, nor Jari or Jaska." he added, backing up to stand next to Marko, who agreed.

"We will travel with you two, at least until you are safe." Marko stated, and if looks could have killed, the medic would lay dead on the dusty ground.

"You dare make decisions, after all we both have been through?" the mechanic shouted into an awkward silence.

"To be honest, I would indeed feel much better with Marko having the lead in our group." Jari muttered, some humming agreement coming from the other members, Moritz and Tobias standing aside watching the dispute.

"Markus, maybe it's time for some compassion." Jani whispered, sharing a look with the medic. As much as the dislike towards the grumpy mechanic had grown only in the past three minutes, they wouldn't want to leave him behind either, not easily like this.

"Compassion, pfft." he growled, rolling his eyes as he finally dropped his bag onto the floor again. "Alright, then let the medic try to handle this bee hive." Markus admitted, the group breathing up again.

"You will be busy enough building up your trust again." Jaska grinned at the mechanic, turning towards the two new members of their group. "Might as well introduce myself, I'm Jaska and that's indeed my partner, Jari." Said man gave a shy smile at the not-anymore-strangers.

"My name's Marko, my friends over here are Olli and Jani and the grumpy sausage over there is Markus." the medic introduced the remaining part of the group.   
"Stop calling me grumpy!" the mechanic snapped, flicking his metal stick which got several other group members pull out their weapons just a second later. "Alright, alright!" Markus added, bursting outside of the house to get some fresh air and calm himself down again.

"Thank you, again." Tobias stated, smiling at his partner who was visibly entirely calming down as the tension left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please welcome Tobias Hübner and Moritz Breuer! Some self indulgent inserts of my other main fandom!
> 
> Furthermore, you might be disappointed at their choice to turn their backs towards The King. However, let me say as much as we will experience him still first hand, some light evening when all our boys talk about their lives before they met each other. We will see if Mo and Tobi told the truth - how The King really is like as a person and most of all how the Realm isn't quite much of a haven as suggested!!


	17. Two Plus Six

It would've almost been something to laugh about to watch as Markus was basically boiling as he walked with a distance behind the newly found group, angry about the choices the man made he thought he could trust. Markus felt betrayed, deeply hurt in his dignity … but most of all lonely. True, he was close enough to throw three of his mates off, which was more than just a bad take for all group members, but the mechanic was close enough to admit he had made a mistake. He wouldn't get back his role as a leader, never after what he attempted - but at least he would be able to scratch up the last respect the others had of him from the concrete.

"I'm so glad that you chose to turn around, the safe haven is just a polished facade of a horrible regime, you would be stupid to assume that Miika holds his arms open for each and every person out there. As if the illness wasn't enough for us people already, he just makes everything worse." Moritz explained as he was walking in between Marko and Olli.

"I just hope you're not leading us into misery and we would've been better off not listening to you." the sailor muttered, being hushed by Marko.

"Tobias and I used to be policemen, we always swore to work for the people not against them. People like us are way too rare, back then when the world was okay and nowadays. The world is cruel enough, we don't have to make it worse on purpose." Moritz continued, met with agreement.

"And you were guards? How can I imagine that to be?" the medic continued asking.

"As cruel as you want to think. Me and my partner never hurt any resident on purpose, but some of our former mates went through with their disgusting masochistic tendencies, making the people of the Realm live in fear of them and the King. I'm glad we got to escape … I wouldn't have survived it any day longer, not after Tobi being beaten up like this once again by our "friends". It was hell, pure hell." the former guard explained, his face filled with fright and hate told that he most likely wasn't lying about his experiences. His gaze went over to his partner, who was seen buried in conversation with the long haired writer.

"So now you two joined us, we actually have two couples in this group." Jari grinned at the former guard, who gave him the same in return.

"And I thought it would be a burden to force both of us onto you all. How long have you been together, if I may ask?" Tobias asked, making Jari flinch as he realized he entirely lost count of time as it both felt like only yesterday when they happened to end up on the hotel bed together but at the same time several months. It just worked, somehow. Smooches here and there, romantic banters but nothing more as Jari reacted with everything but excitement about being held in place … which wasn't even allowing Jaska to wrap his arms around his partner whenever they slept. The writer hated it that he couldn't let his boyfriend near him -  _ he trusted Jaska but apparently not enough _ .

"It's been several weeks, I haven't really counted." Jari forced a smile and hoped that Tobias wouldn't continue asking about his relationship.

"That's sweet, I hope it's going well and continues to be. Moritz and I have been together for a handful of months now, ever since I met him for the first time I knew that he was the one. He must've felt the same, else we probably wouldn't be right here, right now." Tobias told about his own experience.

"How have you two met? Jaska and I met when he held a gun into my face, that was very nice of him." Jari wheezed as he thought back to that day, when he also met Olli who turned out to be just as much of a close friend than his other mates.

"Romantic. Moritz and I joined the Realm at almost the same time, back when it was still small and something to reach out for. We both used to be policemen, so they recycled us as guards and through that I met him. Love on first sight, or something like that." Tobias chuckled. He seemed so carelessly happy. Jari could spot several deep scars all over the skin the guard had exposed, the wound that had been stitched up still dripped a bit of blood and the grey streaks through his hair made the writer realize that Tobias must've been so much older than him - and thus been through things Jari  _ could _ imagine, but he really didn't want to.

"How old are you?" the writer asked, not prepared for the answer that would be given to him.

"41. Mo is 30." he stated, making Jari stop his steps to swallow.

"You're WHAT? I am 38!" he shouted, making the rest of the group turn around in wonder, Tobias began to laugh.

"Having me as a boyfriend aged him 10 years in 4 months." Moritz exclaimed from a distance, making the group laugh.

"I am … old." Jari shook his head as he realized how long it really had been, ever since …

"It's okay, it happens." Tobias patted the writers' shoulder as comfort when the group began walking again.

  
  


* * *

_ What could a human do in five years? Write a book. Find a family. Marry a person. Buy a dog. Raise a child. Get a university degree. Start a band. _

_ All of that just never counted for Mila. Everything she had achieved could've been nothing in the blink of an eye, if she really ever achieved anything. Life never really played into her hands, rather in those of her enemies and those she loved to hate with all her heart. _

_ Mila was alive, standing and breathing. She wasn't really sure what about that state should've been enjoyable, ever since she walked out of the incident just fine - as fine as possible at least. Life can change in just a second, the one blink of an eye. _

_ It had been five years ever since. _

_ And Mila still couldn't understand that it was over, and it would never happen again. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love to hurt my characters. Yes Tobias is only 41 and Jari is already 38, I wasn't aware of that before I actually wrote it down.  
> Also another look into the novel!!!


	18. I'm Sorry

He felt odd asking, would it seem like a sign of distrust to question the Other One randomly like this? Was Olli scared of him? He couldn't tell, he wasn't sure anymore as he counted together what Jani had already done for them.

"Just ask, I'm not angry or anything." Jani hummed after another peaceful while of just walking next to each other. Olli flinched, raising his brows at his mate as he seemingly read his mind.

"Olli, your body language tells me books, what do you want to ask?" the Other One chuckled, the blondie hesitating before he would out his thoughts.

"Eh … basically I wondered what else you can do like this, what makes you different from us except the looks." the sailor muttered, blushing as he sounded more than just stupid asking.

"Thought so. I mean, I could just rattle down what's coming into my mind … basically I am much stronger than you are, I can read body language of you people like an eagle, I don't have to sleep as long as you do, if at all. Furthermore, the feral Other Ones stay away from me. Those are the basics, I don't think the small things like eating less food and reacting faster in fighting situations, for example, interest you. I work well as a fighting machine." Jani smiled as he told about his powers, way too casually for Olli's likings.

"But you … won't turn against us, would you?" the blondie murmured, making his mate shake his head with a sigh.

"I could take all of you out in a second but why would I do it. I am a pacifist. You're the first people I met, ignoring Jaska, who don't want to kill me on sight. I feel well with you, why should I throw all of this away?" he explained. Jani wasn't disappointed in his mates' concerns, ever since he turnt he never met exceptionally friendly people, and probably the only person ever to fully trust him was Jari - on which Jani could always count.

Marko looked around himself, checking on all the people he was taking care of for a handful of days already. Jani was not around, he had been roaming the environment to alert in case of any dangers approaching the small house they found shelter in for the night. Olli was laying next to him, arms wrapped around his anchor with tension - the blondie could never really rest, even when he didn't have to fear anything. Jaska and Jari were seen sleeping next to each other - not entwined as Moritz and Tobias had been right next to them, just resting shoulder against shoulder. Marko wondered why Jari wouldn't allow Jaska, or anyone at all, to hug him. The medic recalled several moments when the writer searched for comfort, never flinching away when Marko wrapped his arms around the smaller man to keep him safe. He knew that Jari was hurt, deep inside, and that he went through hell and back, at least several times. Marko felt sorry for the long haired man.

His gaze went off to the mate that was still missing - Markus - who was not sleeping as everyone else.

"Hey, go to sleep." Marko nodded at his friend, who then locked their eyes in return.

"You say it so easily, wouldn't I have to fear that any of you could suffocate me in my sleep. Especially the soldier boy over there, even Jari is scared of him." Markus hissed, angrily curled up having his arms wrapped around his legs.

"Nobody will hurt you. True, you tried to leave a whole five of us to die but they know about your temper, your decisions are mostly coming out of a mood, you don't think them through." the medic explained, receiving a growl of the other man.

"You make it seem like I'm merely an always-angry-dude and not just a person like you." the mechanic huffed, turning away his gaze.

"You've changed. Ever since she died, you've changed. You know that." Marko continued.

"I know that." Markus repeated, finally grabbing his blanket to lay down onto the floor just like their mates.

"It wasn't Jaska. He's not guilty of anything." the medic made as his last comment, only a faint "Hmmpf." coming back as an answer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much LORE I swear we will find out what's wrong with Jari and Jaska, what made Markus hate soldiers, why Mo and Tobi fled and and and


	19. Moonlight Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: Mention of abuse not specified, mention of former suicidal thoughts and short mention of current suicidal thoughts.

"What exactly are you doing in here?" Jaska exclaimed as he found his partner hiding in some backroom of the house they chose as yet another shelter for the day and night to rest. The writer was seen hunched together, a knife in hand while painful sobs were heard from him. A sting went through the soldiers body, alarmed by the signs, he rushed over to his partner, spotting whole chunks of greasy brown hair laying on the ground in front of Jari. A gaze over to that ones' haircut told Jaska enough.

"Hey, you could've just said something." the soldier comforted the writer as well as he could without making his partner feel restricted or forced to something. Jaska had slowly learned how to handle his boyfriend, adapting to his issues.

"I wanted to do something myself, for once. For all my life I had this shitty haircut, I finally wanted a change." Jari sobbed, startling Jaska as he threw his arms around him, firmly searching for body contact. "For once, hug me please." he added with a mutter against the taller mans' shoulder.

"If you say so …" Jaska stuttered, carefully placing his hands on his partners' back to draw comforting circles with his palms. It had been silent for quite some time, Jaska continued his gentle motions until Jari wasn't heard crying anymore, letting his partner go as soon as he felt that the writer was becoming uncomfortable.

"You're … so good." Jari huffed with his face soaked in tears, yet in a much more calmed voice than before.

"Respecting my partner is not good, that's the most basic thing to do in a relationship." the soldier played a faint smile on his lips, eyeing the chopped off hair on his partner's head. "Marko has got some scissors, surely some of us has even got a little bit of hairdressing experience - that will look better than this self-made knife haircut, trust me."

Jari sighed. His partner was right. "Never can I do anything myself. I've been thrown into the cold water five years ago and still haven't reached the shore."

Jaska found his eyes locked with those of Jari, making the soldier almost cry as he could see the war in the brownish, almost black pupils of his partner. He wanted to know what happened, he _needed_ to know it.

"Would you … tell me what happened?" Jaska whispered as he found his left hand against the other mans' cheek, caressing his beard with his thumb. Jari swallowed, taking a deep breath before he moved his face closer, pulling Jaska in a soft kiss that lasted for a while.

"I … I mean, I'm 38 now. 33 of those were wasted, just like that. I really don't want to talk about it …" Jari stammered, trying to find the right words to explain what exactly caused him to be like … "this".

"If you're uncomfortable-" Jaska already wanted to pull back but Jari hushed him.

"No, you should know at least why I am this way. I say as much, I hope no person in this whole world would ever deserve the hurt I had to endure in these 33 years. I wished to be dead, Jaska, and I still do because I can't cope with it. I love you, okay, and I want you close to me but I need time to get used to it … _to trust you. And I've sworn myself to never trust anyone again. Marko is an exception in this group, but we won't talk about our leader now._ I'm on the way, one small step at a time." the writer explained, feeling the anger rush through each of his veins. There had never been a second when he didn't play with the thought of bloody revenge, but then he wouldn't be just a bit better than those two did _it_ to him.

"That's entirely fine by me. I'm surprised enough that you agreed to be with me." the soldier nodded as he carefully wrapped his arm around Jari. He would pull away at any small sign of the writer being irritated, _yet for now it was okay._

"Why wouldn't I be with you, it's easy to look through your facade, to see that you're a sheep in wolf's clothing. What has happened to you?" Jari hummed, leaning his head against Jaska's chest, for the first time flourishing in the feeling of his partners' body warmth against him.

"I've been forced to join the army, after I had been disfigured. I don't wear this uniform with pride, I wear it with disgust and hate … so much blood sticking on it and my hands. The scar only makes everything worse." Jaska explained. He knew that he could never just imagine feeling what happened to Jari, but he knew that they both were hurt, just needing some comfort in a world that wasn't made for them.

"We should burn your uniform." Jari suggested, now turning his gaze towards his partner's face again.

"How would that help." Jaska raised his brows, only noticing how crooked the glasses of the writer stood and how shattered the left lense seemed to be.

"Nobody forces you to be "soldier Jaska" anymore. You can be … just Jaska." Jari now was the one smiling, already opening the buttons of the greenish-dark shirt to reveal the grey shirt his partner was wearing underneath.

"I can't be just Jaska, what's my purpose then?" the soldier muttered.

"You can still be the protector, but because you want to, not because you have been forced by someone. I can help you." the writer hummed, in a quick movement pushing Jaska's torso onto the floor before he crawled on top of him.

"I'll gladly accept your help, sir." the now former soldier grinned as he felt two hungry lips against his and a muffled "I love you." from his partner before they drowned in sweet kisses that were nothing for the eyes of their remaining group members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I will ever evaluate why Jari trusts both Marko and also Tobias right away but he probably 1) knows right away that they are father figures and 2) knows that he can trust every bit of them. Jari is soft. Also short haired now. Welcome, short-haired Jari! Furthermore, Jaska doesn't wear his uniform now anymore. He now wears his grey shirt and black jeans and fancy sneakers, probably he also caught himself a leather jacket somewhere. He cool now.


End file.
